Work Text:
Ena looked out of the window of her Spinner.
The year is 2049.
The neon lights of a futuristic Tokyo shone in her eyes. The city has never been this big before. Massive structures towered over the people, structures that would make the Tower of Babel blush. The sky was no longer blue. The Sea Walls towered over ground level, humanity's best attempts to contain the massive rise in sea levels. The amount of animals extinct were unknown, but some speculated all of them, every species aside from humans, have gone extinct. The only animals you would see are artificial. Life-like, but still artificial. The pollution in Tokyo, as well as around the world, was immense. It was a miracle this planet didn't just cave in decades ago. Ena had concluded that this is why Off-World colonies were so big. It escaped this nightmare. Her Spinner flew between these buildings, most of which were plastered with ads.
Ena has made a habit of keeping count of just how many ads were displayed.
Some Coca-Cola ads, some Off-World vacation package ads, and some political campaigns.
Ena would always scoff at these political ads. Politics didn't mean anything anymore. It was all controlled by Wallace Corporation.
It wasn't all bad. Wallace Corporation made her job easier.
She was a junior blade runner.
A blade runner is someone whose main job is to 'retire' rebellious replicants. However, it was hard for the Nexus 8 and Nexus 9 replicants to rebel. So Ena has only had to retire Nexus 6 replicants.
Replicants are artificial humans. Artificial bio-engineered humans with the purpose of labor. Nexus 6 replicants get a bad reputation for rebellion. Multiple outbreaks of violent uprising were reported among those groups.
Ena gets chills when she remembers hearing about the story of The Blackout.
However, Los Angeles is an entire ocean away, so maybe it wasn't as scary.
Ena steered her Spinner, finding herself to be lost in thought and almost scraping the side of a building.
It was a rather quiet evening. No calls or active missions for her to work on.
She was getting hungry anyways, so she throttled down to park on whatever street she could land on.
As she flew down, she carefully hovered over a parking spot, landing with ease. She's had practice.
She got out of the Spinner, and locked it.
It wasn't the greatest part of Tokyo, but the food around here was great.
She was driving an unmarked Spinner, so for the people who saw her, she was just another rich asshole who could afford one.
Blade Runners didn't have uniforms, or any visual sign to tell that they are one, so Ena felt safe in people's ignorance.
She walked the crowded streets, in hopes of finding somewhere to eat.
To her luck, an empty seat appeared in a ramen stand out in the streets.
It was raining, but she didn't care about getting soaked, as long as her food remained warm.
She hurriedly walked across the streets, as buses crawled at slow speeds.
Sitting down, she called over to the owner, signaling a bowl of ramen.
She was shivering from the cold of the rain drops, but she was content in knowing the noodles would warm her up soon.
However, she felt the rain drops cease to fall on her. As she looked up, she saw a luxurious umbrella covering her.
She turned to her side, and saw someone who captivated her at first sight.
Next to her, sat a tall yet comforting presence.
Akiyama Mizuki. They were a complete stranger to her.
Turns out they were holding the umbrella for them.
"Oh, um. Thank you." Ena politely smiled, catching herself staring too long at them.
"It's no problem. I just thought a girl like you shouldn't be subjected to the rain." Mizuki replied, smiling.
Ena blushed, yet she had an annoyed expression.
"I bet you say that to everyone who sits next to you."
"Maybe, but I mean it everytime~" They giggled.
As Ena stared at them, she wondered if they were just a regular citizen.
"Well, do you buy their ramen too?"
Mizuki smirked, "Not usually, but you're super cute, so I'll give in this time."
"Cheers."
Ena raised her glass of water the owner brought out for her earlier, as did Mizuki.
"So what's your name?" Ena asked, as she took a sip of the water. It wasn't clean, but asking for clean water in this age is like asking for gold.
"Akiyama Mizuki." Mizuki replied cheerfully.
Ena was surprised at the quick response. Not only that, but they even gave her their last name. It's true that anybody's records are public, yet people are still weary of their privacy.
"My name is Shinonome Ena."
"That's a pretty name. It fits you."
"Oho, does it now?" Ena smirked.
Ena had a bit of an ego problem.
The owner came out with a big bowl of ramen for Ena, placing it directly in front of her.
Mizuki signaled him over, and paid for Ena's meal.
"Pretty selfless, aren’t you?" Ena mumbled.
"Haha, who says I'm not trying to smooch off from you? I see that Spinner you drive."
Ena hesitated on her response. "You seem the type." She chuckled, naturally, she wouldn't joke around with a stranger, however they had a charm to them.
"Such a meanie. You're going to take me for a ride for compensation?"
Ena thought about it for a grand total of two seconds. "I don't see why not."
Ena slurped up a few noodles. "Just let me finish my meal first."
"You got it, miss princess." Mizuki replied.
=======================- .... . / -. .. --. .... - / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -.-. --- -. ... ..- -- . / .- --. .- .. -.=================================
Mizuki hopped into the passenger seat of Ena's Spinner.
Mizuki took in the design of the interior, mesmerized by it.
"It could be cuter, but I won't deny it's cool." Mizuki said.
"Unfortunately, I don't have the money to deck it all out in pink." Ena replied.
Before Ena started up the spinner, she paused.
"Have you ever ridden in a spinner...?"
"Nope! This will be my first time."
Ena nodded, as she started the Spinner.
Ever so gently, she carefully throttled up.
The Spinner ascended from the ground, slow and gentle.
Despite the slow start, Mizuki was still ever so excited. They looked around and down to the ground amazed as they could be.
Ena chuckled. Guess they weren't as scared as she thought they would be.
She accelerated, shooting into the sky.
Mizuki clanged on to Ena's arm, letting out sounds of either excitement or terror. Either way, their adrenaline was sky high.
As Ena flew her Spinner across the vast skyline of Tokyo, Mizuki's eyes filled with wonder. They've never seen Tokyo from this high up. All they have ever seen was dirty streets and yellow police tape. From this altitude, Mizuki would even say this city could be beautiful.
They leaned against the window. The view was breathtaking. In their entire existence, Mizuki has not seen anything like this, let alone ever rode in a Spinner.
Ena watched as Mizuki took in the view. It was a view that Ena was all too familiar with, yet there were moments where she would hover above and take it all in.
"It's nice, isn't it?" Ena asked.
"It's... amazing." Mizuki responded, face pressed against the window.
"That's for buying me the ramen." Ena chuckled.
Ena got a call. She was so lost in the moment it didn't register that she was technically still on the clock.
"Ah, excuse me."
Ena pressed the phone against her ear, and whispered into it.
Mizuki tried to tune in, but the phone was quiet enough not to be picked up.
Ena would only nod and speak yes and no.
She hanged up and sighed.
"That was work. Seems like it's urgent.
"Aw man. I was enjoying my time." Mizuki teased.
"Shush it. Here's my phone number."
Mizuki looked into Ena's eyes. "I don't have a phone."
"Ah..."
Mizuki grabbed Ena's phone and very slowly typed in their address. It was a miracle they could type at all.
"When work is done, come visit me. Let's hang out." Mizuki smiled.
Ena smiled, as she slowly descended back onto street level.
As she hovered a few inches above the ground, Mizuki hopped out.
"Well, I better see you tonight."
"You will." Ena replied.
Mizuki shut the door, and with that, Ena flew off.
After a few minutes of flying, Ena parked in the crowded streets of Akihabara.
She got out of the car, checking her phone for the information of the target.
Short, black-haired, wearing luxurious clothes, and distinguishable with a tattoo.
Ena was just starting. She didn't have any fancy gadgets that would immediately point out someone in the crowd with those exact traits, so everything she did was by pure labor.
She sighed, as she dug her hands into her overcoat's pockets.
It was still raining.
Ena walked around the streets of Akihabara, trying to match the description with anyone she could see.
A lot of people had black hair, so it was even more difficult.
She was in for a long day.
=================================================================
It's been an hour and a half, and Ena has finally found her target.
Sitting alone on an empty outside table, sat her target.
Ena never liked to involve the public when it came to her job, so she always tried to lure the target to a private area before retiring them.
She already had a plan in mind as she sat next to the target.
"Rainy weather again." Ena said.
"I suppose that's the consequences." The target replied.
"I can agree with that."
Ena cleared her throat, as she pulled out a police badge. It wasn't hers. She borrowed it from someone in the department. She was a blade runner, but she would never directly involve herself in police work. It was a field that was vastly too corrupt.
"I'm going to need you to come with me." Ena smiled politely.
"Am I in trouble, miss?"
"I wouldn't say that." Ena responded.
She got up, signaling for them to follow them.
The target reluctantly got up, and followed them.
Ena led them to an empty store front. An established point to take targets if they were out in public.
As the target walked in, Ena turned her back to lock the door.
"I'm not really a policeman. I think we both know why I met you today." Ena somberly said.
"Blade Runner." The target responded.
"Precisely." Ena hovered her hand over her revolver.
The target sighed, as they turned to look at Ena.
"Do you enjoy your job?" Ena was not prepared for that question.
"I don't particularly. Yet, here I am." Ena replied, turning back to face the target.
"You wanted to be a blade runner growing up?"
Ena scoffed. "As if."
She reflected on her childhood dream, one that she still wants to pursue.
"I wanted to be an artist."
The target smiled. "That's a wonderful dream."
"Right. Well-"
"You know what my dream was?"
Ena stood quietly.
"I wanted to be a blade runner. Just like you are.”
Ena raised an eyebrow. She knew they were prolonging the inevitable, but that line caught her interest.
“They pumped my head full of memories, making me feel human."
They stopped themselves.
“Do you know something, blade runner?”
Ena kept quiet.
“Those memories were of a real person. A real human. Can you believe it? I’m just a copy of someone else.” The target laughed.
Ena didn't know what to say, or what to do. Naturally, she had to retire them. Yet, retiring them when they're in the middle of a monologue would leave a sour taste in her mouth.
"What are you going to do when someone you love turns out to be a replicant?" The target asked.
Ena started sweating. It was getting emotionally intense.
"I don't have to retire every replicant. Only the ones out of line."
"And you'll say you love them as you put down their own?"
She gulped, her hand slowly pulling out her revolver. She was nervous.
“Have you taken the Voight-Kampff test, blade runner? How can you be so sure you were born of a human?”
"I'm sorry-"
As Ena was about to apologize, the target quickly drew out their weapon, shooting at Ena.
Ena, taken by surprise, was delayed in her response, but yet managed to get out into the streets.
As she ran out, the target followed suit. Shooting at her, but missing each shot.
Ena saw the chance for an advantage, so she entered the alleyway. Yet, instead of running further into it, she covered against it, waiting to take the target by surprise.
The target inched closer to the alleyway.
"How does it feel, blade runner?" The target manically shouted.
The sound of shots rang as the target shot into the air.
"I hope you can sympathize with us after this experience. If you make it."
The target reached into the alleyway.
The shot from Ena's revolver rang out.
The target fell back, reaching out to Ena.
The rain fell hard on both of them. The crowded streets were now empty as people ran from the scene.
"God forbid... you come to love someone. You're going to carry this weight with you."
Ena hyperventilated as they watched the target lay on the street, the rain washing away any blood spilled.
She has done this multiple times, yet this felt new.
She always felt sorrow after completing her missions, yet this time she broke down.
The heavy tears blended in with the heavy rain.
All she knew at the moment was that she wanted to see Mizuki. She was running late, so she wiped away her tears, and traveled back to find her Spinner.
=================================================================
Mizuki patiently waited in their small living room.
They didn't expect Ena to show up, but they waited patiently. Watching whatever was playing on their television.
Three knocks ranged out.
Mizuki gulped, and peaked through the peephole.
It was Ena.
Mizuki smiled, and opened the door for her.
"I'm surprised you came."
"I am too." Ena smiled, soaked from the rain.
Mizuki fetched a towel and handed it to Ena. Ena quickly dried off her face and hair, as she removed her shoes to enter.
"Make sure not to get everything wet."
"Yeah, yeah." Ena tried not to do so.
"I forgot to mention I have a television, so if we get bored of board games, we can always watch something."
"Oh great. I would love to watch infomercials."
They both chuckled. Albeit, Ena chuckled sadly.
"Shall I run you a bath?"
Ena blushed at this. Why was Mizuki treating her as a husband who just returned from a long day at work? So she thought.
"Um, that's very generous, but aren't I hassling you enough?" Ena replied, suddenly timid.
"I don't mind. I want you to be healthy anyways. You'll catch a cold if you stay like that."
Mizuki rushed to run the bath, as Ena awkwardly sat in their living room.
It was cozy, and very organized. It seemed Mizuki tried to fill the room in as many colors as they could. Colors besides the ones you'd see in neon lights.
Ena didn't notice, but Mizuki's living room was completely void of framed pictures. There were no signs of family around.
Mizuki rushed back into the living room.
"Bath's ready~"
"I'll be right back!" Ena rushed into the bathroom, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind.
Mizuki sat on the couch, as they waited for Ena to return.
They were excited that Ena had come, but anxious.
Mizuki held a secret.
One that always changed how people viewed them.
It's not easy to tell, but Mizuki's identity was shrouded in mystery. To their neighbors, they were just someone who moved in a couple of months ago. They disappear for a while and return.
They had friends. They were a very social person, but no one truly knew them.
They looked around their living room.
Unlike the living rooms they would see on TV, there were no personal items such as framed photos or anything with similar sentiment value. It's all materialistic. It wasn't a bad thing in this world, sometimes it was even encouraged.
Mizuki slumped back into their seat.
"TV might get boring too... I might as well breakout the old speaker." They got up and rummaged through their closet. It had a lot of clothes that were out of season, and some outfits they've never even touched. Inside the closet, was a box neatly tucked away into the back. Inside it was a cheap speaker, and right next to it, a classic iPod. It still worked surprisingly, and with the antique being valued as nostalgic for a world that wasn't as destroyed as this one, it still had connectivity. Truth be told, if they sold it, it would give them enough money to afford a Spinner. Yet, this was the only thing they could say had sentiment value.
They took out the box, and set it on the coffee table. The sound of the bathroom door opening was heard, as Ena stepped out in a towel.
"You didn't leave me clothes in there."
"Oops~" Mizuki playfully knocked on their head.
They got up to fetch some sleepwear for Ena. Once they returned, they tossed it to Ena.
"How charming." Ena closed the door.
After a minute, Ena stepped out in pajama pants and a shirt that was accompanied by a small sleeping hat.
"I'm not wearing the hat."
"Suit yourself. Anyways, let's get this sleepover going!"
"Sleepover? You didn't say anything about a sleepover!" Ena protested.
"Well, you're here now, aren't you? Besides, It's dangerous for you to go out this late at night. Heard there was a shootout in Akihabara."
Ena gulped, shivering at the thought. "I didn't hear about that."
She sat next to Mizuki on the couch.
"So, what are we doing first?"
"Let's see what's on TV."
Mizuki surfed through the channels. They stopped on a channel that was running a show everyone was watching, but was upset when the words 'THIS CHANNEL IS ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE INTERPLANET CABLE SERVICE.'
"Why even show me the channel if you aren't going to let me watch!" Mizuki grunted.
Ena chuckled at seeing Mizuku frustrated. Even when mad, they were pretty cute.
"Maybe we can play board games while we wait to see if something good goes on?"
"I guess. Let's see what we got."
They pulled out a box from under the coffee table, which had an array of board games.
For the next hour or so, the two played through a number of classics. Chess, Checkers, Shogi, Mahjong, Monopoly, Game of Life, Sorry, and other lesser known ones. Mizuki was winning every single game, causing Ena to get frustrated.
"Ugh, this is bullshit. Let's play card games."
"Okay!" Mizuki got out their deck of cards, and began to shuffle the deck of cards.
"Jesus, how are you so good at these games?!" Ena was mad that she's been humiliated in such a way.
"Well, I have experience~ I'm just that good." Mizuki chuckled. The real reason why was more complex.
"Well, let's see how we fair with the card game."
"Let's start with Uno, shall we?" Mizuki grinned.
As the two played through a few rounds of Uno, Ena would come out as the winner for the majority of the times. Next, they played Poker, Go Fish, Blackjack, and other different variations of those games. This had more mix results, Ena winning some, Mizuki losing some, and vice versa.
"Man, you got a good poker face, Mizuki." Ena said.
One of Ena's job descriptions was to conduct Voight-Kampff tests, which were a series of questions asked while observing someone's retina to determine whether they were a replicant or human. Therefore, Ena had picked up on patterns of emotions expressed through facial expressions. She also gambled quite a bit, so it helped in determining if someone was bluffing or not.
"What can I say? I'm just good at acting." Mizuki said proudly as they set the deck of cards down.
Silence befell the room, before Mizuki suggested their next activity.
"Hey, let's dance."
=================================================================
"Dance?" Ena asked.
"Mhm. I got an iPod here. Let's play some music and dance."
"What is this, prom night?" Ena laughed, but ceased when she saw how serious Mizuki was.
"Or... do you not want to dance with me?" Mizuki asked plainly.
"I ... I don't mind." Ena cleared her throat.
"Okay, then."
Ena got up from her seat and stood in the middle as Mizuki set up the speaker. It was really old-fashioned.
Mizuki finished setting it up, and pressed 'play'.
Under Your Spell by Desire.
As the synth and the guitars began to play, Mizuki inched closer to Ena. The two were not staring at each other face to face.
Awkwardly, Mizuki began to move around a bit. Little nods here and there, wagging of a finger, swaying side to side. Ena did much of the same, blushing due to how Mizuki was, and how embarrassed she was. However, as the song progressed, they started to get a bit more into it. Mizuki began to sway their hips and head to the beat of the song. Ena did the same, snickering along the way. Both of them started to get their arms more involved, as they seem to be coming up with their own dance moves. Ena began to dance as if she was dancing alone. Mizuki smiled, at how quickly Ena became comfortable with the idea. The two danced until the song ended.
"That was... kind of fun. I haven't danced like that in so long." Ena said as she catches her breath.
"We're not done. Don't worry, we'll take it slow."
"S-slow dancing?" Ena replied.
"Why not? We got to cool down a bit."
"Right..." Truth be told, this was too much for Ena. She didn't have as many friends, only acquaintances or coworkers. Going from simple pleasantries to suddenly slow dancing and being intimate with a person must certainly cause some sort of whiplash. Despite this, she gave in.
Mizuki quickly played the next song, Real Hero.
They gently placed their hands on Ena's hips, causing her to jump a bit.
"Careful!" Ena snapped.
"Oho, are you ticklish?"
"Don't you dare!" Ena warned.
Mizuki took one hand and grabbed Ena's hand.
"You do know how to slow dance, right?"
"Of course! I'm just uh..."
Before Ena could come up with an excuse, Mizuki led Ena's other hand onto their shoulder.
"And now, we just move." Mizuki began to sway.
"I knew that!" Ena stared into Mizuki's eyes. They were beautiful.
As the two swayed slowly to the tempo of the song, they found themselves staring at each other. No words were said, only locked eye contact. Ena felt her breathing get heavier as she kept staring. She noticed that Mizuki's eyes were filled with such longing and yearning. She wondered if that's how they saw her too. It wouldn't be false to say Ena's eyes were much of the same.
Despite Mizuki being taller, they leaned their head against Ena's shoulder. Ena didn't protest, she simply kept swaying.
Ena found comfort in Mizuki. She doesn't know why quite yet, but she does. After the events of today, this night with Mizuki was exactly what she needed. In a world so bleak and soulcrushing as this one, at the moment, she felt as if she understood everything. Feeling Mizuki's breath near her face, and feeling their warmth, it grounded her into this world. Ena always lived in her own little universe, but this was the first time she welcomed someone in.
As the two danced in Mizuki's small apartment, Ena's phone suddenly began to rang. Ena's heart sank, as she knows what a call this late at night means.
"Mizuki, Sorry..." She really didn't want to, but she broke away from Mizuki, and walked to pick up her phone.
She answered it, pressing it against her ear.
Mizuki watched as Ena repeated her responses as she did earlier in the day.
They crossed their arms, as they stood silently.
Ena hanged up, putting her phone down.
"Um... It's work."
Mizuki frowned, "You said that earlier. Just what type of job do you do?"
"Um... sales?" Ena replied.
"Sales? What are you going to sale this late at night?!" Mizuki walked to Ena, gently grabbing her hands.
"C'mon, stay the night with me. Work can wait, right?" Mizuki plead.
Ena sighed. She was always used to immediately getting to work whenever she was assigned a new target, but it didn't necessarily had to be that way.
"Well, I mean. It can’t, but-"
"Good! But for realsies, tell me what your job is, I want to know." Mizuki stared into her soul, pouting in an attempt to get her to confess.
"People don't really like it when I tell them. Some people praise me, some people hate me for it."
"Jesus, what are you, a politician?"
Ena scoffed. "As if! I would never!"
"You'd look good on camera." Mizuki smirked.
Ena adverts eye contact.
“You’re just saying that.”
Mizuki closes the gap between their faces. The tips of their noses touching each other.
“Heyy, you’re avoiding the question.”
Ena blushed deeply. Her heartbeat was accelerating, and she could feel the sweat running down her forehead.
“U-um. I- You see, well- hehe…” Ena was at a loss for words. She was a complete mess.
“Well, you either tell me or you stay over tonight!”
“I’ll stay over.” Ena replied in a comedically fast manner.
“Tch, I’ll find out one of these days!”
“You probably will.”
Ena cleared her throat.
“So uh, what’s gonna be the sleeping arrangements?”
Mizuki smirked slightly. “Well, I own a bed, obviously.”
“Ah- Are you sure? I wouldn’t want you to sleep on the floor.”
Mizuki sighed. “I’m saying we should sleep in the same bed, dumbass.”
Ena stood silently.
“Come on~” They grabbed Ena by the hand and led her to the bedroom.
Ena nervously walked, sitting on the side of the bed.
“Um. So…”
“Have you been with a human being at all in your life?” Mizuki laughed.
Ena was getting annoyed. “Shut up! This is just all too much!”
Ena laid on the bed. This was no challenge for her.
“That wasn’t so hard now, was it?”
Mizuki shut off the lights, before snuggling up close to Ena.
Ena laid on her back, staring at the ceiling. It was the first time she’s ever shared a bed with anybody.
As she laid on the bed, she would occasionally turn to look at Mizuki, who was fast asleep.
“No way they fell asleep that fast…” Ena mumbled to herself.
The events of earlier played out in her head. The shootout, the conversation, and the questions imposed on her. What did they hope to accomplish by bringing such stuff up?
As she stared at the ceiling, she extended her arm out, tracing her fingers up and down.
It was skin. Soft skin. She knows replicas are identical to humans, but her skin was warm. Did that not mean anything then?
She once more turned to Mizuki. She kept staring at their face, noticing their every feature. Their soft, pale skin and the spacing between their eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth. She slightly pokes their cheek.
Their skin was as soft as hers.
“Hmm..?” Mizuki opens their eyes, only to find Ena staring at them.
“I- No, it’s not what it looks like! I just fall asleep faster on this side!” Ena felt as if her heart was about to jump out of her chest.
Mizuki giggles, retaliating by poking Ena on the cheek.
“You’re so cute when you’re flustered, did you know that, Ena?”
Ena let out a sigh. “I bet you say that to everyone who sleeps next to you.”
Mizuki placed their finger on Ena’s lips.
“Don’t tell everyone, but you’re the first person I ever had a sleepover with.”
Ena stayed silent. What was it about her that drawed so much of Mizuki’s attention?
Mizuki yawned. “Well, better get some sleep. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to miss whatever work you have, right?”
“Ah- I totally forgot about work.”
“Good.”
Mizuki closed their eyes, their words trailing off.
“Good…”
Ena watched as Mizuki drifted back into sleep.
“Goodnight.”
Ena finally closed her eyes, and tried to sleep.
As the night life of the city continued outside, the clubbing, the drinking, the dancing, the crime, and hunting, the two remained asleep throughout the entire night.
As they were asleep, a gunfight break’s out in the local precinct that issues the bounty for replica’s that need retiring.
The sound of gunshots ring out into the streets. Police officers huddle behind their desk, taking shelter from the unknown shooter.
From the entrance of the precinct, stands a slim girl, with long purple hair. The girl reaches into her bag, pulling out a smoke grenade before rolling it towards the hall.
As the smoke deploys, she takes the opportunity to rush into the hall, as the police shield their eyes from the sting of the gas. She heads down the hallway, kicking down doors into multiple offices, before reaching to the one she seeked, the office of the person who issued the bounties.
Gun to his head, the girl clearly states her demands.
“Give me the name of the blade runner that retires for you.”
Reluctantly, he does as he is told.
========================
It’s morning now. Ena wakes up to an unfamiliar ceiling.
She turns to her side, only to notice Mizuki was already up and out of bed.
Reluctantly getting up, she makes her way into the living room.
“Mizuki…?” She rubs her eyes, yawning.
Mizuki sat on the couch, quietly.
“Mizuki?” Ena walked towards her, before stopping in her tracks. She realized what had happened.
On the coffee table was Ena’s phone.
“Did you-”
“No! I didn’t! Listen, this person was calling your number like crazy, okay? You didn’t wanna wake up, so I answered.”
Ena felt her breath get heavier.
“Who was it?”
Mizuki scoffed.
“Work, that’s who.”
“So you know.”
Mizuki sighed.
“I don’t- I don’t care, I guess.”
Ena sat down next to Mizuki.
“Oh, so why do you look scared?”
Mizuki looked at Ena. “I think you’re the one that should be scared.”
“What was it?”
Mizuki picked up the phone, and handed it to Ena.
“Apparently, someone’s looking for you. You retired someone yesterday, huh?”
An annoyed expression returned on Ena’s face. “That rat bastard would tell anyone my business, huh?”
Mizuki shook their head. “He seemed panicked, Ena. Something must have happened.”
Ena sighed.
“I’m sorry, Mizuki. I didn’t want to tell you, because-”
Mizuki once again placed their finger on Ena’s lips.
“It’s okay. Really, I just-” Mizuki paused. “I have to tell you something.”
As Ena was about to further inquire, Mizuki stood up. “But I won’t tell you until we have breakfast!”
Ena nodded. “I suppose, where did you wanna go?”
“Eh, can’t you appreciate the quality of a home cooked meal for once?”
She tried to recall the last time she’s ever had home cooked food. “I suppose. I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Mizuki smirked. “I can outsell any of the big chains on any given day!” Mizuki walked towards the kitchen. They put on their apron, and began to fetch the ingredients for their specialty: fluffy pancakes.
Ena slumped into the sofa, turning on the TV.
IF YOU’RE JUST TUNING IN, THERE WAS A SHOOTOUT IN THE DISTRICT 5 PRECINCT, ABOUT A HALF OF A MILE AWAY FROM AKIHABARA. THE GUNMAN IS AT LARGE, WITH LITTLE TO KNOW INFORMATION ABOUT THEM. OFFICIALS ARE TRYING TO MATCH THE DESCRIPTION OF THE GUNMAN TO THE REPLICA REGISTRY, HOWEVER, DUE TO THE CYBERATTACK WE REPORTED ON EARLIER TODAY, THE REGISTRY IS UNAVAILABLE. TYRELL CORPORATION HAS NOT YET MADE AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT, DESPITE THE CYBERATTACK AFFECTING LOS ANGELES AS WELL.
Shit, was the only thing Ena could say as she took in the news.
“Order up, buttercup!” Mizuki placed a plate of a healthy stack of pancakes in front of Ena.
Almost immediately, her stomach began to grumble.
“Mizuki, these look… amazing!” She said as she enthusiastically grabbed her fork and began to eat.
Mizuki smiled with satisfaction as they watched the other eat. They sat down next to her.
“Hehe, with that dopey smile you give off, I wouldn’t mind making you food for the rest of our lives.”
“You got a lot of cooking ahead of you.” Ena said, with her mouth stuffed with pancakes.
Mizuki sadly smiled. “Yeah.”
After almost reaching the bottom of the plate, Ena turned to Mizuki.
“Speaking of, what did you wanna tell me?”
“Well. You’re a blade runner, obviously. What I wanted to say is-”
They were suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door. A knock that meant no good. Not a neighborly knock, but one you would expect from the police or another authority figure.
Ena set down her fork. She slowly got up, whispering to Mizuki. “My coat- Where did you leave it?”
Mizuki signaled to a closet space in the living room. They remained seated.
Ena walked towards the closet. Reaching for her coat, she withdraws the revolver she kept holstered.
Mizuki's eyes widened as they saw Ena with the big iron, however, given the state of things, they reasonably understood.
Another knock. Followed up by another knock. The silence in the room followed by each knock was deafening.
As Ena approached the door, the silence was canceled out by the sound of the door being kicked in.
In the doorway, stood the purple hair gunman from the night before.
As Ena was about to point,
“Mafuyu?” Mizuki said, as they stood paralyzed by fear.
Ena could not let this revelation distract her, so she remained focused on Mafuyu.
Mafuyu stepped into the apartment.
“Mizuki. Living comfortably, huh?” She observed the living room. Ena and Mizuki in pajamas, a plate of finished pancakes on the coffee table, and the kitchen a visible mess.
“Were you… sleeping with the blade runner?”
The two stood still.
“Um. Anyways, Mafuyu… what are you doing here?”
Mafuyu points at Ena.
“I’m here for the blade runner.” Mafuyu said, her expression as cold as ever.
“Her name is Ena!”
Mafuyu ignored Mizuki.
“Blade runner, I don’t know how you know Mizuki, but it’s best we move this conversation to another place. For their sake.”
As Ena was about to respond, Mizuki stood in front of Ena.
“You’re not doing anything to her! Whatever it is that you want… we can help you together!” Mizuki blissfully plead.
“Mizuki… It’s fine. I’ll be back, okay?” Ena smiled softly.
Mizuki grabbed Ena’s hand.
“No! I know where this is gonna lead to!”
Ena shook her head. “It’s fine.” She wrapped her arms around Mizuki, whispering into their ear..
“Meet me at the ramen shop later. Pack your bags.”
Mizuki let out a sigh before releasing Ena.
“Mafuyu, was it? Let’s go.” Ena matched Mafuyu’s stern voice.
The purple haired girl nodded, before proceeding to leave the building. Ena followed behind.
“So how far are we going for you to kill me?” Ena quipped.
“Please, I wouldn’t be so barbaric to do it in any place remotely public.”
“I respect that.” Ena replied.
As they bended into the crowds of people walking on the streets, they kept a respectable distance between them.
“So, guessing you were behind the cyberattack?”
If Mafuyu was one to laugh, she would have at this moment.
“It’s so simplistic to think one person could be behind such a massive attack. Obviously I had help.”
Ena nodded. “Guessing that replica from yesterday was one of your buddies?”
“Yes.” She replied as quickly as she walked.
Ena had always carried a guilt when it came to her job, but the guilt of her last gig was eating away at her as the hours went by. This was not helping.
“I- I’m sorry.”
“I don’t care if you’re sorry or not.”
Ena sighed. “I guess. You’re pretty determined, huh?”
“Sure. Also, Mizuki is a replica.”
The way Mafuyu delivered the line almost caused Ena to burst out laughing, but she opted to cough.
“Oh, you’re telling me that someone who knows a replica on a first name basis that’s leading a rebellion isn’t also a replica?”
“I’m not leading it. I’m just helping.”
Ena sighed. She had an inkling from the beginning, so she was taking time to process it.
“Do me one favor then. How long has she been alive?”
Mafuyu stopped in her tracks. “You think I would be doing this if I had more than ¾ of my lifespan?”
Ena stopped. She realized the implications this carried.
Without thinking, she drew her revolver, firing a total of three shots. Only one that nearly grazed Mafuyu’s arm. Immediately after, she started sprinting back towards Mizuki’s place.
Mafuyu drew her weapon and began chasing after her.
Mafuyu was not like Ena. Despite her actions, she didn’t want to injure anyone who didn’t deserve it. So she simply chased after Ena until she was sure she could get a clear shot.
Ena ran as she shot to the sky, in hopes of scaring the other into slowing down or giving up the pursuit.
From the entrance to the apartment building, Mizuki stepped out, watching Ena running at full speed towards them.
“Ena..?”
Ena grabbed a hold of Mizuki’s hand and dragged them along with her. Her spinner was parked just a few blocks down. Mafuyu kept up with them, but after figuring out what Ena was planning to do, she stopped.
The pair had reached the spinner. Ena frantically opened the doors, as the two jumped in.
There was no time to catch their breath. Immediately, Ena started the spinner, accelerating towards the sky.
“Mizuki- Listen, I know you’re a replicant. I don’t care! You showed me more kindness than anyone else in the past years or so! If us staying here keeps you unsafe, we can-” Ena stopped herself. She was hyperventilating, but as she focused on the road, and relaxed all her muscles, she calmed down.
“Mizuki…”
Mizuki nervously smiled as they watched Ena.
“Ena. It may not be too long, but I already decided I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
A small smile crept up on Ena’s face.
It was a cloudy, cold day. Snowflakes had begun to fall on the windshield of the spinner.
“Um. Mizuki… did you want to…”
Mizuki did not need to wait for Ena to finish her sentence. They leaned over and cupped Ena’s face before kissing her.
Ena melted into the kiss.
She was the one that pulled away first, considering she had to keep her eyes on the road.
"Um. That was... pretty good." Ena became a giggling mess.
Mizuki chuckled. "Yeah, it was."
"Ahem. I don't want to ruin a good moment, but what's her deal?"
"Mafuyu?" Mizuki titled their head.
"Yeah."
"We... Well, we were made around the same time. We became good friends, but at the year mark, some of the replicants rebelled against the humans off-planet. Long story short, we snuck into Earth. We had a disagreement, and I just didn't want to put on the facade of a revolutionary. I just wanted a comfortable life..."
Ena nodded. "I see."
The silence after was interrupted when a spinner rammed into the back of Ena's.
Ena grabbed the wheel, as her spinner started to malfunction.
“Jeez, she’s still after us?!” She attempted her best to avoid colliding with any buildings, and to keep a steady path.
“Listen, I’m gonna drop you off at the train station. Just wait for me.”
Mizuki knew there was no talking her out of this, so they simply nodded.
Ena descended onto street level, hovering above the entrance to the train station. She opened the door, as Mizuki hopped off. Immediately after, she sped up into the air.
Mafuyu was still hot on her trail.
Ena kept her eyes on the road, plotting out her next move. There’s an abandoned building along this road, one in which Ena had previously carried out her jobs.
She once again descended, parking in the middle of the road. She rushed out of the Spinner, running into the abandoned building. She reloaded her gun, as she hid in one of the rooms.
There was silence.
Pure silence.
Only the silent ambience of the snow falling could be heard, until footsteps rang out through the building.
The footsteps continued, only sounding closer.
“I think it would be easier if you just came out and faced me.” Mafuyu said in her ever cold tone.
Ena stayed silently, listening to her steps.
“You know, Mizuki can’t tell you when she’s gonna die. I don’t know when.”
Mafuyu stopped.
“Humans are so privileged, don’t you think? What is it, around 50 years of lifespan? A far cry from when it used to be 80. Even then, 50 years is unimaginable to us.”
Ena’s breath was getting shaky.
“But you wouldn’t know that, would you?”
Ena felt as if she stopped breathing.
“What?” She said.
Mafuyu sighs.
“I believe everybody asks themselves whether they’re really human or not. Replicant and Human alike.”
Ena crept out of the room she was hiding, drawing her weapon towards Mafuyu.
“What are you trying to say to me right now?”
This was the first time Ena felt such an inescapable dread wash over her.
“Can you not understand what I’m inferring to?”
“Shut up. I’m not supposed to fucking decode your words.”
Mafuyu kept staring at Ena with an unforgiving gaze.
“You were watching the news. You know that the replicant database was wiped. That question will plague everyone until Tyrell can come up with a solution.”
With an impassioned look on her face, Ena aimed her revolver straight at Mafuyu.
“What the fuck are you trying to say to me?”
“I think you knew it from the start. I mean, what type of person would fall for someone they met so recently? You ever wondered why you became a blade runner in the first place?”
“For the money, jackass! I didn’t want to become a blade runner. I- I wanted to- No, it doesn’t matter. I know what I am.”
“You don’t. Let me help you.” Mafuyu drew her weapon as fast as lightning, the shot directly grazing Ena’s side.
Ena yelped, as her hand instinctively went to press on her side.
“What do you see?”
Ena lifted her hand up, revealing that her palm and fingertips were covered in crimson red blood.
“Blood.”
“Replicant or human, we all bleed the same.”
Ena looked up at Mafuyu.
“I’m sorry. This isn’t personal.” Mafuyu began shooting, as Ena ducked and ran into the hallway. There was only one other escape from here: the roof.
She rushed up the stairs, shooting back at Mafuyu as Mafuyu kept Ena in her sights. Shot by shot, she would barely miss Ena.
Ena only thought of escaping. Nothing of the previous conversation mattered. Replicant or not, the insurmountable fear of death held a grip over her.
She made her way into a room with a window that was accessible just by lifting oneself up to it. She grabbed hold of the bottom rail, lifting herself up to stand on it. In the process, she had to punch through the already shattered glass in order to give her enough space. From there, she was able to grab onto the roof, lifting herself up.
As she walked on the roof, a shot rang from below. It grazed her leg.
Once again letting out a scream, she stumbled towards the other side of the roof.
Mafuyu had followed suit, now on the roof.
At this moment, fear was driving Ena to push forward.
Fear, and the desire to seek out Mizuki.
With all her might, she rolled off the roof, grabbing a hold of it, so she could jump to the next rooftop.
However, because of the snow, one of her hands slipped.
She felt the grip of her remaining hand start to slip. The fall from that height would certainly decommission her.
As she desperately tries to hang on, the events of the prior days start playing in her head.
How did she get here? Who was she before she met Mizuki? Where is Mizuki now?
These thoughts added to her weight. Drawing her last breath, she feels gravity start to take affect as her hand slips.
However, she feels a strong grip on her wrist.
She looks up to see Mafuyu holding her.
A sigh of relief and fear washes over her.
Mafuyu pulls Ena up, as Ena rests laying down.
“Why did you- I don’t… get you.” Ena tried to say through panicked breaths.
“It’s quite an experience to live in fear.” One could say Mafuyu had remorse showing through her facial expression at the moment.
“That fear. You don’t think the people you retired experienced that?”
Ena stayed silent. Tears ran down her cheek, as she processed what just happened.
“I’ve seen things. Things neither you or Mizuki could imagine. Battleships off the shores of the orion belt. Seeing your friends murdered under the guise of retirement…” Mafuyu said all of this, but kept an emotionless stare.
“Yet, all these moments will be lost to time. Like tears in the rain.”
It’s snowing harder now.
Ena slowly got up. Holding her hand over her wound.
“I’m glad you experienced that fear.” Mafuyu let out, as she sat down.
“Goodbye, blade runner.” Mafuyu sat still, closing her eyes.
Ena looked over Mafuyu, her tears streaming down her face.
She climbed down back into the window, limping back downstairs. Making her way through the abandoned building, the only sound was the occasional tears dropping onto the floor. It was sheer quiet.
She exited the building, sitting down on the snow covered steps.
She laid her back on the steps, looking up towards the sky.
The heavy snowflakes falling ever so gently around her. She held her wound tightly as she stared into the sky. A lot has happened, and at the moment, all she wanted to do was rest.
“If the database is down… does that mean me and Mizuki could live normally?”
She scoffed.
“No, I’m still a blade runner… I guess I’ll just be out of the job then.”
She giggled, thinking about domestic life with Mizuki. With that out of the way, she could continue to spend the rest of her life with Mizuki, even if it was just a little.
She extended her arm upwards towards the sky.
“Mizuki… I’ll be there shortly.”